Communication system, service common apparatus, mobile network node apparatus, and data communication method

ABSTRACT

The present invention aims to provide a communication system capable of optimizing network processing. The communication system according to the present invention includes an application server (10) configured to detect a behavior of a communication terminal (50) and a service common apparatus (20) configured to receive an identifier of the communication terminal (50) and behavior information on the communication terminal (50) transmitted from the application server (10) via a first interface defined between the service common apparatus (20) and the application server (10) and to transmit the identifier of the communication terminal (50) and the behavior information on the communication terminal (50) to a mobile network node (40) via a second interface defined between the service common apparatus (20) and the mobile network node (40) to optimize a parameter regarding the communication terminal (50).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/024,050 filed Mar. 23, 2016, which is a National Stage ofInternational Application No. PCT/JP2014/003288 filed Jun. 19, 2014,claiming priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-202773filed Sep. 27, 2013, the contents of all of which are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a communication system, a servicecommon apparatus, a mobile network node apparatus, a data communicationmethod, and a program, and more particularly, to a communication system,a service common apparatus, a mobile network node apparatus, a datacommunication method, and a program that optimize parameters of acommunication terminal.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, a method of optimizing a setting of each processingnode which makes up a mobile communication system has been demanded.3GPP proposes a method of optimizing network processing according to usecharacteristics of a mobile communication terminal (Non-PatentLiterature 1). For example, network processing may be executed withrespect to a terminal located by being fixed to a specific location toreduce control processing related to a move. More specifically, aninterval when the terminal executes position registration may be setlonger than a predetermined time. Furthermore, when a mobilecommunication terminal is a terminal which allows a delay, networkprocessing may be executed to transmit data to the mobile terminal bycontrolling a communication time and avoiding a timing when a datatransmission/reception amount comes to a peak.

CITATION LIST Non Patent Literature

-   [Non-Patent Literature 1] 3GPP TS 22.368 V11.3.0 (2011-09) 3rd    Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group    Services and System Aspects; Service requirements for Machine-Type    Communications(MTC); Stage 1 (Release 11)

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

However, as described above, network processing is optimized targetingat a mobile terminal whose use characteristics are fixed. For example,whether the mobile terminal is a terminal located by being fixed to aspecific location or a terminal which allows a delay is determined usingservice information on the terminal, terminal information or the likedetermined in advance. Currently, besides optimization of the networkprocessing as described above, optimization of network processingtargeting at a mobile terminal whose use characteristics change is beingdemanded. Hence, executing optimization of network processing usinginformation other than service information which generally changes lessfrequently is demanded.

One exemplary object of the present invention is to provide acommunication system, a service common apparatus, a mobile network nodeapparatus, a data communication method, and a program capable ofoptimizing network processing using information other than serviceinformation which generally changes less frequently in order to solvethe aforementioned problems.

Solution to Problem

A communication system according to a first exemplary aspect of thepresent invention includes: an application server configured to detect abehavior of a communication terminal; and a service common apparatusconfigured to receive an identifier of the communication terminal andbehavior information on the communication terminal transmitted from theapplication server via a first interface defined between the servicecommon apparatus and the application server and to transmit theidentifier of the communication terminal and the behavior information onthe communication terminal to a mobile network node apparatus via asecond interface defined between the service common apparatus and themobile network node apparatus to optimize a parameter regarding thecommunication terminal.

A service common apparatus according to a second exemplary aspect of thepresent invention includes communication means for receiving anidentifier of a communication terminal and behavior information on thecommunication terminal transmitted from an application server via afirst interface defined between the service common apparatus and theapplication server configured to detect a behavior of the communicationterminal and transmitting the identifier of the communication terminaland the behavior information on the communication terminal to a mobilenetwork node apparatus via a second interface defined between theservice common apparatus and the mobile network node apparatus tooptimize a parameter regarding the communication terminal.

A mobile network node apparatus according to a third exemplary aspect ofthe present invention acquires, from a service common apparatus that hasreceived an identifier of a communication terminal and behaviorinformation on the communication terminal transmitted from theapplication server via a first interface defined between the servicecommon apparatus and the application server configured to detect abehavior of the communication terminal, the identifier of thecommunication terminal and the behavior information on the communicationterminal via a second interface and optimizes a parameter regarding thecommunication terminal.

A data communication method according to a fourth exemplary aspect ofthe present invention includes: receiving an identifier of acommunication terminal and behavior information on the communicationterminal transmitted from an application server via a first interfacedefined between an apparatus and the application server configured todetect a behavior of the communication terminal; and transmitting theidentifier of the communication terminal and the behavior information onthe communication terminal to a mobile network node apparatus via asecond interface defined between the apparatus and the mobile networknode apparatus to optimize a parameter regarding the communicationterminal.

A program according to a fifth exemplary aspect of the present inventionis a program for causing a computer to execute the processes of:receiving an identifier of a communication terminal and behaviorinformation on the communication terminal transmitted from anapplication server via a first interface defined between an apparatusand the application server configured to detect a behavior of thecommunication terminal; and transmitting the identifier of thecommunication terminal and the behavior information on the communicationterminal to a mobile network node apparatus via a second interfacedefined between the apparatus and the mobile network node apparatus tooptimize a parameter regarding the communication terminal.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide acommunication system, a service common apparatus, a mobile network nodeapparatus, a data communication method, and a program capable ofoptimizing network processing using information other than serviceinformation which generally changes less frequently.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a communication network accordingto a first exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an application server according toa second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a common service apparatusaccording to the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a mobile network node according to the secondexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a communication network accordingto a third exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing sub-resources of a serviceExposure Resourceaccording to the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing Attributes of a deviceCharactoristicResource according to the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing Attributes of the deviceCharactoristicResource according to the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing Attributes of an areaService resource or agroupService resource according to the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing Attributes of the areaService resource orthe groupService resource according to the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing sub-resources of a deviceTriggeringresource according to the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing Attributes of the deviceTriggering resourceaccording to the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing Attributes of a triggerResult resourceaccording to the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a diagram for describing a link connection procedure in a ZReference Point according to the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a diagram for describing a link disconnection procedure inthe Z Reference Point according to the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a diagram for describing a link monitoring procedure in the ZReference Point according to the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 17 is a diagram for describing a service request procedure via theZ Reference Point according to the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 18 is a diagram for describing a flow of processing when a servicehas been successfully executed according to the second exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 19 is a diagram for describing a flow of processing when theservice has not been successfully executed according to the secondexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 20 is a diagram for describing a flow of asynchronous responseprocessing in response to a request for executing the service accordingto the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 21 is a diagram for describing a flow of processing when an AEupdates resources of an CSE according to the second exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 22 is a diagram for describing a flow of processing when an NSE 60requests an CSE 50 to update resources according to the second exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 23 is a diagram for describing a flow of parameter changeprocessing according to a third exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 24 is a diagram for describing a flow of message receptionprocessing according to the third exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 25 is a configuration diagram of a communication network accordingto a fourth exemplary embodiment; and

FIG. 26 is a configuration diagram of a communication network accordingto a fifth exemplary embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS First Exemplary Embodiment

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, exemplary embodiments ofthe present invention will be described. With reference to FIG. 1, aconfiguration example of a communication system according to a firstexemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described. Thecommunication system shown in FIG. 1 includes an application server 10,a common service apparatus 20, a mobile network node 40, and acommunication terminal 50. The mobile network node 40 is a device thatis arranged in a mobile network 30.

The application server 10 detects a behavior of the communicationterminal 50. The behavior of the communication terminal 50 may becontents indicating a moving state, a communication state or the like ofthe communication terminal 50. The moving state may be referred to as,for example, mobility characteristics indicating a moving speed or thelike of the communication terminal 50 and the communication state may bereferred to as communication characteristics indicating an average usebandwidth or the like of the communication terminal 50. In anotherexample, the behavior of the communication terminal 50 may be, forexample, contents indicating battery information on the communicationterminal.

The application server 10 acquires information indicating the behaviorfrom the communication terminal 50. For example, the application server10 acquires information indicating the behavior of the communicationterminal 50 via the mobile network 30 connected to the communicationterminal 50. Alternatively, the application server 10 may acquireinformation indicating the behavior of the communication terminal 50 viaa server that communicates with the communication terminal 50.

The mobile network 30 is a network managed by a mobile communicationbusiness operator. The mobile network 30 may be, for example, a networkin which a node apparatus defined by the 3GPP is provided. Therefore,the mobile network node 40 arranged in the mobile network 30 may be anode apparatus defined by the 3GPP.

The common service apparatus 20 receives the identifier of thecommunication terminal 50 and information regarding the behavior of thecommunication terminal 50 transmitted from the application server 10 viaan interface defined between the common service apparatus 20 and theapplication server 10. The interface defined between the common serviceapparatus 20 and the application server 10 may be, for example, a dataformat defined when a data communication is performed between the commonservice apparatus 20 and the application server 10.

The common service apparatus 20 transmits the identifier of thecommunication terminal 50 and information regarding the behavior of thecommunication terminal 50 to the mobile network node 40 via an interfacedefined between the common service apparatus 20 and the mobile networknode 40 in order to optimize the parameters regarding the communicationterminal 50 held in the mobile network node 40.

The optimization of the parameters related to the communication terminal50 is, for example, to increase or decrease communication resourcesallocated to the communication terminal 50 according to the behavior ofthe communication terminal 50 in the mobile network node 40. The mobilenetwork node 40 optimizes the parameters related to the communicationterminal 50 based on the identifier of the communication terminal 50 andthe information regarding the behavior of the communication terminal 50.

The interface defined between the common service apparatus 20 and themobile network node 40 may be, for example, a data format defined when adata communication is performed between the common service apparatus 20and the mobile network node 40.

As described above, by using the communication system according to thefirst exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the common serviceapparatus 20 is able to notify the mobile network node 40 of theinformation regarding the behavior of the communication terminal 50 thatdynamically changes. Further, the mobile network node 40 is able tooptimize the parameters related to the communication terminal 50 usingthe information regarding the behavior of the communication terminal 50that frequently changes. It is therefore possible to reduce the load inthe mobile network 30. For example, it is possible to improve anaccommodation efficiency of the communication terminal in the mobilenetwork 30.

Second Exemplary Embodiment

Next, with reference to FIG. 2, a configuration example of theapplication server 10 according to a second exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention will be described. The application server 10 includesa behavior management unit 11.

The behavior management unit 11 detects the behavior of thecommunication terminal 50 connected to the mobile network 30. Forexample, the communication terminal 50 autonomously transmitsinformation regarding the behavior to the application server 10 at atiming when the behavior in the communication terminal 50 is changed.Alternatively, the communication terminal 50 may periodically transmitinformation regarding the behavior of the communication terminal 50 tothe application server 10. The application server 10 may detect thebehavior of the communication terminal 50 by acquiring the informationregarding the behavior transmitted from the communication terminal 50.

Now, the behavior of the communication terminal 50 will be described indetail. The information regarding the behavior of the communicationterminal 50 includes, for example, mobility characteristics,communication characteristics, battery information and the like of thecommunication terminal 50. The mobility characteristics of thecommunication terminal 50 may be, for example, information indicatingwhether the communication terminal 50 is moving. Further, when thecommunication terminal 50 is moving, the mobility characteristics may beinformation indicating whether the moving speed is faster or slower thana predetermined speed.

For example, a state in which the communication terminal 50 is notmoving may be referred to as a Stop state, a state in which thecommunication terminal 50 is moving at a speed lower than thepredetermined speed may be referred to as a Low Mobility state, and astate in which the communication terminal 50 is moving at a speed higherthan the predetermined speed may be referred to as a High Mobilitystate.

Alternatively, the mobility characteristics of the communicationterminal 50 may be information indicating the moving range of thecommunication terminal 50. More particularly, the mobilitycharacteristics of the communication terminal 50 may be, for example,information indicating the range in which the communication terminal 50has moved within a predetermined period of time or may be informationindicating the locus in which the communication terminal 50 has movedwithin a predetermined period of time. In one more alternative, themobility characteristics of the communication terminal 50 may beinformation regarding the destination of the communication terminal 50.

The communication characteristics of the communication terminal 50 maybe, for example, an average use bandwidth, an average communicationtime, an average operation time, and an average communication intervalin a predetermined period of time during which the communicationterminal 50 is performing communication via the mobile network 30.Alternatively, the communication characteristics of the communicationterminal 50 may be information indicating a time zone in which thecommunication terminal 50 performs the communication. In one morealternative, the communication characteristics of the communicationterminal 50 may be delay time of data allowed by the communicationterminal 50.

The battery information on the communication terminal 50 may be, forexample, information indicating the remaining amount of battery of thecommunication terminal 50. Alternatively, the battery information on thecommunication terminal 50 may be information indicating whether thecommunication terminal 50 is being charged or may be informationindicating whether the communication terminal 50 is operating in a powersaving mode.

In one more alternative, the information regarding the behavior of thecommunication terminal 50 may be information on the application which isbeing activated by the communication terminal 50 or may be informationregarding the radio wave state of the communication terminal 50.

Upon receiving the information regarding the behavior of thecommunication terminal 50 including the mobility characteristics,communication characteristics, battery information or the like of thecommunication terminal 50 from the communication terminal 50, thebehavior management unit 11 holds the acquired information.

The behavior management unit 11 transmits both the information regardingthe behavior of the communication terminal 50 and the information foridentifying the communication terminal 50 to the common serviceapparatus 20 via the interface defined between the application server 10and the common service apparatus 20.

Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a configuration example of the commonservice apparatus 20 according to the second exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention will be described. The common service apparatus 20includes a communication unit 21 and an authentication unit 22.

The communication unit 21 receives the identifier of the communicationterminal 50 and the information regarding the behavior of thecommunication terminal 50 transmitted from the application server 10 viathe interface set between the application server 10 and thecommunication unit 21.

The communication unit 21 outputs the identifier of the communicationterminal 50 and the information regarding the behavior of thecommunication terminal 50 that have been received to the authenticationunit 22.

The authentication unit 22 performs authentication regarding theapplication server 10 using the information output from thecommunication unit 21.

For example, the authentication unit 22 may determine whether theapplication server 10 that has output the information or the likeregarding the behavior of the communication terminal 50 is anapplication server that has been allowed in advance to connect to thecommon service apparatus 20. For example, the authentication unit 22 mayhold information regarding a list of application servers that have beenallowed in advance to connect to the common service apparatus 20.

When the authentication unit 22 does not allow the connection of theapplication server 10 as a result of the authentication processing, theauthentication unit 22 may send a notification indicating that theconnection will not be allowed to the application server 10 via thecommunication unit 21 or cancel the connection with the applicationserver 10. When the authentication unit 22 allows the connection of theapplication server 10 as a result of the authentication processing, theauthentication unit 22 may output a notification indicating theconnection of the application server 10 is allowed to the communicationunit 21.

When the authentication unit 22 allows the connection of the applicationserver 10, the communication unit 21 outputs the identifier of thecommunication terminal 50 and information regarding the behavior of thecommunication terminal 50 output from the application server 10 to themobile network node 40. The communication unit 21 converts the format ofthe information or the like regarding the behavior of the communicationterminal 50 into a format used in the interface defined between thecommon service apparatus 20 and the mobile network node 40 and thenoutputs the information or the like to the mobile network node 40.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4, a configuration example of the mobilenetwork node 40 according to the second exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention will be described. The mobile network node 40 includesa parameter management unit 41.

The parameter management unit 41 receives the identifier of thecommunication terminal 50 and the information regarding the behavior ofthe communication terminal 50 transmitted from the common serviceapparatus 20 via the interface defined between the parameter managementunit 41 and the common service apparatus 20.

The parameter management unit 41 changes parameters regarding thecommunication terminal 50 to optimize them based on the informationtransmitted from the common service apparatus 20. Now, an exampleregarding the optimization of the parameters regarding the communicationterminal 50 will be described.

It is assumed, for example, that the parameter management unit 41 hasreceived information regarding the behavior indicating that thecommunication terminal 50 is not currently moving and is stopped. Inthis case, the parameter management unit 41 may change the parametersdefined regarding a position registration area of the communicationterminal 50 to narrow the position registration area.

In general, the communication terminal 50 transmits a positionregistration request signal to the mobile network node 40 when it movesoutside the position registration area. At this time, when the positionregistration area is made too narrow, the position registration requestsignal is transmitted to the mobile network node 40 every time thecommunication terminal 50 slightly moves, which may cause congestion inthe mobile network node 40. When the position registration area is madetoo wide, the number of communication terminals 50 managed by one mobilenetwork node 40 increases, whereby the process burden in the mobilenetwork node 40 increases.

On the other hand, when it is detected that the communication terminal50 is stopped, even when the position registration area, which is aparameter regarding the communication terminal 50, is made narrow, thecommunication terminal 50 does not frequently transmit the positionregistration request signal. In this way, the information regarding thecommunication terminal 50 managed by the parameter management unit 41may be optimized using the information regarding the behavior of thecommunication terminal 50.

While the example in which the parameters of the parameter managementunit 41 are changed using the mobility characteristics as theinformation regarding the behavior has been described above, theparameters of the parameter management unit 41 may be changed using theinformation regarding the behavior other than the mobilitycharacteristics.

As described above, by using the application server 10, the commonservice apparatus 20, and the mobile network node 40 according to thesecond exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it is possible tochange the parameters of the communication terminal 50 managed by themobile network node 40 to optimize them according to the behavior of thecommunication terminal 50.

Third Exemplary Embodiment

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, a configuration example of acommunication system according to a third exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention will be described. The communication system shown inFIG. 5 includes an Application Entity (AE) 60, a Common Services Entity(CSE) 70, and a Network Service Entity (NSE) 80. The AE, the CSE, andthe NSE are node apparatuses defined in one M2M that standardizesMachine to Machine services. The AE 60 corresponds to the applicationserver 10 shown in FIG. 1. The CSE 70 corresponds to the common serviceapparatus 20 in FIG. 1. The NSE 80 corresponds to the mobile networknode 40 in FIG. 1.

The CSE 50 may be a server device managed by a service provider thatmediates a communication between the AE 60 and the NSE 80.Alternatively, the CSE 70 or a plurality of CSEs 70 managed by such aservice provider may be referred to as a service platform.

Further, an interface between the AE 60 and the CSE 70 is defined to bean X Reference Point. Further, an interface between the CSE 70 and theNSE 80 is defined to be a Z Reference Point.

Now, a description will be given to the X Reference Point. The XReference Point defines a common format and an M2M DevicesInformation-specific format that define necessary information items whenthe information regarding the behavior of the communication terminal 50is transmitted from the AE 60 to the CSE 70.

The AE 60 sets a distribution destination service platform ID and adistribution source application ID in the common format. Thedistribution destination service platform ID is, for example, an ID thatis allocated to the CSE 70. When the service provider manages aplurality of CSEs 70, the distribution destination service platform IDcommon to the plurality of CSEs 70 may be allocated. The distributionsource application ID is an ID that is used to identify the AE 60.

The AE 60 sets the terminal ID and the information regarding thebehavior of the communication terminal 50 that has transmitted theinformation regarding the behavior in the M2M DevicesInformation-specific format.

International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), which is the identifierof the terminal defined by the 3GPP, may be used as the terminal ID ofthe communication terminal 50. Alternatively, another identifier such asthe telephone number or the like to identify the communication terminal50 may be used as the terminal ID of the communication terminal 50.

The mobility characteristics, the communication characteristics, thebattery information, or other information are set as the informationregarding the behavior.

The AE 60 may not necessarily set all the information items in the M2MDevices Information-specific format and the information items describedabove may be divided into required items that need to be set andoptional items that may be optionally set. For example, the requireditems may include the terminal ID of the communication terminal 50 whoseparameter will be changed. Further, the items of the informationregarding the behavior other than the information regarding the behaviortransmitted from the communication terminal 50 may be optional items.For example, when the information regarding the mobility characteristicsis transmitted from the communication terminal 50, other informationsuch as the communication characteristics may not be set.

Next, the configuration and the function of the CSE 70 will bedescribed. The CSE 70 includes a functional block: Common ServiceFunctions (CSFs) 75. The CSFs 75 may be formed, for example, using a CPUor the like in the CSE 70. The CSFs 75 correspond to the communicationunit 21 and the authentication unit 22 shown in FIG. 3. Hereinafter, thefunctions executed in the CSFs 75 will be described.

The CSFs 75 receive a message transmitted from the AE 60 via the XReference Point. The CSFs 75 further have a function of checking theitems set in the received message.

For example, the CSFs 75 determine whether the distribution sourceapplication ID corresponds to the AE that has been allowed in advance toconnect to the CSE 70. For example, the CSFs 75 may hold informationregarding the list of the AEs that have been allowed in advance toconnect to the CSE 70. The CSFs 75 may determine whether thedistribution source application ID set for the common format of themessage is included in the list of the AEs that have been allowed inadvance to connect to the CSE 70.

Further, the CSFs 75 may check the validity regarding the otherinformation items of the message. For example, it is assumed that it isallowed for the AE 60 to set only the mobility characteristics as theoptional items. The optional items that the AE 60 can set may bedefined, for example, in a contract or the like between the operatorthat manages the AE 60 and the operator that manages the CSE 70.Further, the CSFs 75 may hold contract information between operators. Insuch a case, when the communication characteristics are set as theoptional items of the message transmitted from the AE 60, the CSFs 75may discard the message transmitted from the AE 60 as an unauthorizedmessage.

Alternatively, it is assumed in the AE 60 that the terminal ID that canbe set as the required item is predetermined. In such a case, when aterminal ID other than the terminal ID that has been determined inadvance is set as the required item of the message transmitted from theAE 60, the CSFs 75 may discard the message that has been transmittedfrom the AE 60 as an unauthorized message.

The CSFs 75 transmit the message to the NSE 80 via the Z Reference Pointafter completing the check of the message. Further, when a plurality ofNSEs 80 are connected to the CSE 70, the CSFs 75 select the NSE to whichthe message is to be transmitted and transmit the message to the NSEthat has been selected.

For example, the CSFs 75 may search for the NSE 80 in the plurality ofNSEs 80 that holds the parameters regarding the terminal ID set in themessage transmitted from the AE 60 and select the NSE 80 that has beenextracted. The CSFs 75 may transmit the terminal ID whose parameter willbe changed to each NSE 80 and specify the NSE 80 that holds theparameters regarding the terminal ID using a response signal.

When the message is transmitted to the NSE 80, the CSFs 75 change theformat of the message transmitted from the AE 60 to the format used inthe NSE 80 and transmit the message whose format has been changed to theNSE 80. The format used in the NSE 80 is defined as the Z ReferencePoint. The Z Reference Point defines the common format and the M2MDevices Information format that define the necessary information itemwhen the message is transmitted from the CSE 70 to the NSE 80.

The CSFs 75 set a distribution destination network ID and a distributionsource service platform ID in the common format. The distributiondestination network ID is, for example, an ID allocated to the NSE 80.The distribution source service platform ID is an ID used to identifythe CSE 70.

Since the information item set in the M2M Devices Information formatdefined in the Z Reference Point is basically similar to the informationitem set in the M2M Devices Information format defined in the XReference Point, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

Further, the CSFs 75 may analyze the information regarding the behaviortransmitted from the AE 60, set the result of the analysis in the M2MDevices Information format, and transmit it to the NSE 80. For example,upon receiving a message in which it is set that the communicationterminal is stopped from the AE 60, the CSFs 75 may set contents toinstruct to narrow the position registration area in the NSE 80 in theM2M Devices Information format.

Besides the above functions, the CSFs 75 may execute chargingprocessing. The charging processing may be, for example, processing ofgenerating charging information when information is distributed usingthe NSE 80 when the CSFs 75 receive a message from the AE 60.

Now, specific examples of the CSFs will be described. The CSFs are thegeneral term for a plurality of functions. One of the plurality offunctions includes Network Service Exposure, Service Execution andTriggering (NSE) CSF. The NSE CSF manages a plurality of resources. Theplurality of resources are updated, for example, in the AE. The NSE CSFnotifies the NSE of the information that has been updated when theresource managed by the AE is updated via the X Reference Point. Theresources managed by the NSE CSF will be described below.

The NSE CSF manages serviceExposure resource for M2M Applications.Further, the NSE CSF manages the following resources as sub-resources(child resources) of the serviceExposure resource for M2M Applications.

-   -   deviceTriggering resource as a child resource of serviceExposure        resource    -   deviceCharacteristic resource as a child resource of        serviceExposure resource    -   locationNotification resource as a child resource of        serviceExposure resource    -   policyRule resource as a child resource of serviceExposure        resource    -   locationQuery resource as a child resource of serviceExposure        resource    -   imsService resource as a child resource of serviceExposure        resource    -   deviceManagement resource as a child resource of serviceExposure        resource    -   areaService resource as a child resource of serviceExposure        resource    -   groupService resource as a child resource of serviceExposure        resource    -   underlyingNetwork resource for the CSE operation purpose    -   collection of underlyingNetwork resources    -   linkManagement resource as a child resource of underlyingNetwork        resource    -   linkCredential resource as a child resource of linkManagement        resource

The information items such as the mobility characteristics, thecommunication characteristics, the battery information or otherinformation set in the M2M Devices Information-specific format are setto one of the above sub-resources.

The deviceTriggering resource, the deviceCharacteristic resource, theareaService resource, the groupService resource, and a subscriptionresource, which is not described in the above sub-resources, have thefunctions shown in FIG. 6.

For example, the deviceTriggering resource is a resource that manages atiming when the AE 40 notifies the NSE 60 of the execution of theservice. The deviceCharacteristic resource is a resource, for example,that manages characteristics of the communication terminal connected tothe NSE 60. The areaService resource is a resource that manages thedelivery area. The groupService resource is a resource that manages thegroup of the communication terminals to which the information will bedistributed. The subscription resource is a resource that is used tonotify the AE 40 of the resource that has been updated when one of thesub-resources is updated. When the subscription resource is included, abidirectional communication between the AE 40 and the NSE 60 can beachieved.

Further, the deviceCharacteristic resource has Attributes shown in thelist of FIGS. 7 and 8. Further, the areaService resource or thegroupService resource has Attributes shown in the lists of FIGS. 9 and10. Further, the deviceTriggering resource has a triggerResult resourceas a sub-resource, as shown in FIG. 11. The deviceTriggering resourcehas Attributes shown in the list of FIG. 12. Further, the triggerResultresource, which is a sub-resource of the deviceTriggering resource, hasAttributes shown in the list of FIG. 13.

When the AE 40 updates the resources such as the deviceCharacteristicresource, the areaService resource, the groupService resource, and thedeviceTriggering resource, the CSE 50 selects the NSE 60 to which theinformation will be sent. The CSE 50 determines, for example, whetherthe NSE is the NSE to which the information regarding the resource thathas been updated needs to be sent and selects the NSE 60. Alternatively,the NSE 60 may be selected based on policy information or the like. TheCSE 50 notifies the NSE 60 that has been selected of the informationregarding the resources that have been updated.

Further, the CSE 50 is mounted on one of an Application Service Node(ASN) such as a communication terminal, a Middle Node (MN) such as arouter, and an Infrastructure Node (IN) such as a service platform. Theinterface used between the CSE 50 and the NSE or information to be sentto the NSE vary depending on which one of the ASN, the MN, and the INthe CSE 50 is mounted on. The CSE 50 may therefore have a function ofidentifying which one of the ASN, the MN, and the IN the CSE 50 ismounted on. This function may be achieved by a CPU or the like thatexecutes a program stored in a memory.

A case in which the CSE 50 is mounted on the IN will now be described.In this case, the CSE 50 may select the interface from an OMA, a GSMAOneAPI framework and the like when it communicates with the NSE.Further, the CSE 50 may request the NSE 60 to execute the followingfunctions when the sub-resources included in the serviceExpo sureresource are updated.

-   -   IP Multimedia communications    -   Messaging    -   Location    -   Charging and billing services    -   Device information and profiles    -   Configuration and management of devices    -   Triggering, monitoring of devices    -   Small data transmission    -   Group management

For example, when the deviceTriggering resource is updated, the CSE 50may request the NSE 60 to execute functions regarding Triggering andSmall data transmission. When the deviceCharacteristic resource isupdated, the CSE 50 may request the NSE 60 to execute the functionregarding the Device information and profiles. When thelocationNotification resource is updated, the CSE 50 may request the NSE60 to execute the function regarding the Location. When the policyRuleresource is updated, the CSE 50 may request the NSE 60 to execute thefunction regarding the Charging and billing services. When thelocationQuery resource is updated, the CSE 50 may request the NSE 60 toexecute the function regarding the Location. When the imsServiceresource is updated, the CSE 50 may request the NSE 60 to execute thefunction regarding the IP Multimedia communications. When thedeviceManagement resource is updated, the CSE 50 may request the NSE 60to execute the function regarding the Configuration and management ofdevices. When the groupService resource is updated, the CSE 50 mayrequest the NSE 60 to execute the function regarding the Groupmanagement.

Next, with reference to FIG. 14, the link connection procedure in the ZReference Point will be described. First, the CSE 50 transmits aConnection link request message to the NSE 60 (S101). Next, the NSE 60transmits a Connection link accept message as a response message (S102).After the messages in Steps S101 and S102 have been sent, each of theNSE 60 and the CSE 50 executes link setting processing (Create linkcredential) (S103, S104).

Next, with reference to FIG. 15, a link disconnection procedure in the ZReference Point will be described. First, the CSE 50 transmits aDisconnect link request message to the NSE 60 (S111). Next, the NSE 60transmits a Disconnect link accept message as a response message (S112).After the messages in Steps S111 and S112 have been sent, each of theNSE 60 and the CSE 50 carries out link disconnection processing (Removelink credential) (S113, S114).

Next, with reference to FIG. 16, a link monitoring procedure in the ZReference Point will be described. First, the CSE 50 transmits a Watchdog request message to the NSE 60 (S121). Next, the NSE 60 transmits aWatch dog response message as a response message (S122). Next, the CSE50 determines the link state between the CSE 50 and the NSE 60 based onthe Watch dog response message (S123).

Next, with reference to FIG. 17, a service request procedure via the ZReference Point will be described. First, the CSE 50 determines totransmit a Request message when the resources are updated, for example(S131). Next, the CSE 50 transmits the Request message to the NSE 60.Next, the NSE 60 executes the service that has been instructed based onthe Request message (S133).

Next, with reference to FIG. 18, processing when the service has beensuccessfully executed will be described. First, the NSE 60 transmits aResponse message to the CSE 50 (S141). The information indicating thatthe service has been successfully executed is set in the Responsemessage. Next, the CSE 50 determines whether another Response messagehas been sent (S142).

Next, with reference to FIG. 19, processing when the service has notbeen successfully executed will be described. First, the NSE 60transmits a Response message to the CSE 50 (S151). The informationindicating that the service has not been successfully executed is set inthe Response message. Next, the CSE 50 determines whether execution ofthe next service is instructed (S152).

Next, with reference to FIG. 20, a flow of asynchronous responseprocessing in response to a request for executing the service will bedescribed. First, the CSE 50 transmits a Request message to the NSE 60(S161). Next, the NSE 60 transmits a Response message as a responsesignal in response to the Request message (S162). Then, the NSE 60transmits a Request message as a response message regarding the resultof executing the service based on the Request message transmitted inStep S161 (S163). Next, the CSE 50 transmits a Response message to theNSE 60 as a response message in response to the Request messagetransmitted in Step S163 (S164).

Next, with reference to FIG. 21, a flow of processing when the AEupdates the resources of the CSE will be described. First, the AE 40transmits a Request message to the CSE 50 to update the resources heldby the CSE (S171). The resources held by the CSE are, for example,sub-resources included in the serviceExposure resource. Next, the CSE 50transmits a Response message to the AE 40 as a response message (S172).

Next, the CSE 50 determines to transmit the Request message to the NSE60 when the resources held by the CSE 50 are updated (S173). Next, theCSE 50 transmits the Request message to the NSE 60 (S174). Next, the NSE60 executes the service that has been instructed based on the Requestmessage (S175).

Next, with reference to FIG. 22, a flow of processing when the NSE 60has requested the CSE 50 to update the resources will be described.First, the NSE 60 transmits a Request message to request the CSE 50 toupdate the resources (S181). While the AE 40 has transmitted the Requestmessage to directly update the resources held by the CSE in FIG. 21, theNSE 60 transmits the Request message to request the update of theresources in the CSE 50 instead of directly updating the resources heldby the CSE 50.

Next, the CSE 50 transmits a Response message to the NSE 60 (S182).Then, the CSE 50 updates the resources that it holds based on theRequest message in Step S181 and determines to transmit the Requestmessage to the AE 40 (S183). Next, the CSE 50 transmits the Requestmessage to the AE 40 (S184). After that, the AE 40 executes the servicethat has been instructed based on the Request message (S185). Theprocessing in FIG. 22 is executed, for example, when it has been set inadvance in the AE 40 that a notification regarding changes in theresources should be sent to the AE when there are changes in theresources of the CSE.

Next, with reference to FIG. 23, a flow of parameter change processingaccording to the third exemplary embodiment of the present inventionwill be described. First, the AE 60 transmits an M2M Devices Informationnotification message to the CSE 70 (S11). Next, upon receiving the M2MDevices Information notification message transmitted from the AE 60, theCSE 70 executes M2M Devices Information notification message receptionprocessing (S12). The M2M Devices Information notification messagereception processing includes processing for authenticating the AE 60 inthe CSE 70. The M2M Devices Information notification message receptionprocessing in Step S12 will be described later in detail.

Next, when the CSE 70 authenticates that the AE 60 is the AE that hasbeen allowed in advance to connect to the CSE 70, it transmits the M2MDevices Information notification message to the NSE 80 (S13).

Next, upon receiving the M2M Devices Information notification messagetransmitted from the CSE 70, the NSE 80 transmits a response message tothe CSE 70 (S14). Upon receiving the response message transmitted fromthe NSE 80, the CSE 70 transmits the response message in response to theM2M Devices Information notification message transmitted in Step S11(S15).

Upon receiving the response message in Step S14, the NSE 60 executesprocessing for changing the parameters related to the communicationterminal that has been specified (S16).

Next, with reference to FIG. 24, a flow of the M2M Devices Informationnotification message reception processing according to the thirdexemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described. First,the CSE 70 receives the M2M Devices Information notification messagetransmitted from the AE 60 and then performs authentication regardingthe AE 60 that has transmitted the M2M Devices Information notificationmessage (S21). Specifically, the CSE 70 determines whether the AE 60 isan AE that has been allowed in advance to connect to the CSE 70. The CSE70 may hold list information regarding the AEs that have been allowed inadvance to connect to the CSE 70. The CSE 70 may determine whether theAE 60 is included in the list information.

When it is determined that the AE 60 is not included in the listinformation (authentication NG), the CSE 70 ends the processing. When itis determined that the AE 60 is included in the list information, theCSE 70 selects the NSE to which the M2M Devices Information notificationmessage will be transmitted (S22). The CSE 70 selects, for example, theNSE that holds the parameters regarding the terminal specified in theM2M Devices Information notification message. Further, when there isonly one NSE that is connected to the CSE 70, this step may be skipped.

Next, upon selecting the NSE 80, the CSE 70 changes the format of theM2M Devices Information notification message transmitted from the AE 60to a format used in the NSE 80 that has been selected. Here, the formatused in the NSE 80 is defined to be the Z Reference Point. The ZReference Point defines the common format and the M2M DevicesInformation format that define the necessary information item when theM2M Devices Information notification message is transmitted from the CSE70 to the NSE 80.

As described above, the communication network according to the thirdexemplary embodiment of the present invention defines the X ReferencePoint between the AE 60 and the CSE 70 and the Z Reference Point betweenthe CSE 70 and the NSE 80. Accordingly, upon acquiring the informationregarding the behavior of the terminal from the communication terminal50, the AE 60 is able to notify the NSE 80 of the information regardingthe behavior of the terminal via the CSE 70. The NSE 80 is able tochange the parameters regarding the communication terminal 50 tooptimize them by acquiring the information regarding the behavior of theterminal.

Fourth Exemplary Embodiment

Next, with reference to FIG. 25, a configuration example of acommunication network according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention will be described. In FIG. 25, a detailedconfiguration example regarding the NSE 80 in FIG. 5 is mainlydescribed. In FIG. 25, the configuration example in which the CSE 70 isconnected to the mobile communication network formed using the nodeapparatus defined in the 3GPP will be described.

The communication network shown in FIG. 25 includes an AE 60, a CSE 70,a Machine Type Communication (MTC)-InterWorking Function (IWF) entity81, a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 82, and a Mobility Management Entity(MME) 83. Since the AE 60 and the CSE 70 are similar to those shown inFIG. 5, the detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

The MTC-IWF entity 81 acquires a message transmitted from the CSE 70.The MTC-IWF entity 81 specifies the parameters to be changed regardingthe communication terminal 50 based on the information regarding thebehavior of the communication terminal 50 set in the received message.

The HSS 82 holds subscriber information regarding the communicationterminal 50. The subscriber information may include, for example,contract information, positional information or the like regarding thecommunication terminal 50. The HSS 82 changes the parameters regardingthe communication terminal 50 held by the HSS 82 upon receiving aninstruction to change the parameters regarding the communicationterminal 50 from the MTC-IWF entity 81.

The MME 83 performs mobility management of the communication terminal50. For example, the MME 83 manages the position registration area ofthe communication terminal 50 and further controls the path or the likeof user data transmitted and received by the communication terminal 50.Upon receiving the instruction to change the parameters regarding thecommunication terminal 50 from the MTC-IWF entity 81, the HSS 82 changesthe parameters regarding the communication terminal 50 held in the HSS82.

Further, Tsp is an interface defined between the CSE 70 and the MTC-IWFentity 81, S6 m is an interface defined between the MTC-IWF entity 81and the HSS 82, and T5 b is an interface defined between the MTC-IWFentity 81 and the MME 83. The specifications and the like of Tsp, S6 m,and T5 b are defined in the 3GPP.

As described above, by using the communication network according to thefourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it is possible tochange the parameters related to the communication terminal in themobile communication network including the node apparatus defined in the3GPP.

Fifth Exemplary Embodiment

Next, with reference to FIG. 26, a configuration example of acommunication network according to a fifth exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention will be described. The communication network shown inFIG. 26 has a configuration in which the application server 10 isremoved from the communication network shown in FIG. 1 and thecomponents other than the application server 10 are similar to those ofthe communication network shown in FIG. 1.

In the communication network shown in FIG. 26, the common serviceapparatus 20 acquires information regarding the behavior of thecommunication terminal 50 transmitted from the communication terminal50. In the communication network shown in FIG. 1, the common serviceapparatus 20 acquires the information regarding the behavior of thecommunication terminal 50 via the application server 10. Meanwhile, inthe communication network shown in FIG. 26, the common service apparatus20 acquires information regarding the behavior of the communicationterminal 50 from the communication terminal 50.

The common service apparatus 20 may acquire the information regardingthe behavior from the communication terminal 50 via the mobile network30 or may acquire the information regarding the behavior from thecommunication terminal 50 via another network.

As described above, by using the communication network according to thefifth exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the common serviceapparatus 20 is able to acquire the information regarding the behaviorfrom the communication terminal 50. That is, the common serviceapparatus 20 is also able to directly acquire the information regardingthe behavior from the communication terminal 50, not via the applicationserver 10. According to this method, the common service apparatus 20does not need to define any interface between the common serviceapparatus 20 and the application server 10, whereby it is possible tosimplify the configuration of the apparatus compared to FIG. 1.

Further, the common service apparatus 20 may use both the configurationin which the information regarding the behavior of the communicationterminal 50 is acquired via the application server 10 and theconfiguration in which the information regarding the behavior of thecommunication terminal 50 is directly acquired from the communicationterminal 50.

While the present invention has been described as a hardwareconfiguration in the above exemplary embodiments, the present inventionis not limited to this configuration. The present invention can achievethe processing in the common service apparatus 20 and the mobile networknode 40 by causing a central processing unit (CPU) to execute a computerprogram.

In the above examples, the program can be stored and provided to acomputer using any type of non-transitory computer readable media.Non-transitory computer readable media include any type of tangiblestorage media. Examples of non-transitory computer readable mediainclude magnetic storage media (such as flexible disks, magnetic tapes,hard disk drives, etc.), optical magnetic storage media (e.g.,magneto-optical disks), Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), CD-R,CD-R/W, and semiconductor memories (such as mask ROM, Programmable ROM(PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), flash ROM, Random Access Memory (RAM),etc.). The program may be provided to a computer using any type oftransitory computer readable media. Examples of transitory computerreadable media include electric signals, optical signals, andelectromagnetic waves. Transitory computer readable media can providethe program to a computer via a wired communication line (e.g., electricwires, and optical fibers) or a wireless communication line.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above exemplaryembodiments and may be changed as appropriate without departing from thespirit of the present invention.

While the present invention has been described with reference to theexemplary embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the aboveexemplary embodiments. Various changes that can be understood by thoseskilled in the art can be made to the configurations and the details ofthe present invention within the scope of the present invention.

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2013-202773, filed on Sep. 27, 2013, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   10 APPLICATION SERVER-   11 BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT UNIT-   20 COMMON SERVICE APPARATUS-   21 COMMUNICATION UNIT-   22 AUTHENTICATION UNIT-   30 MOBILE NETWORK-   40 MOBILE NETWORK NODE-   41 PARAMETER MANAGEMENT UNIT-   50 COMMUNICATION TERMINAL-   60 AE-   70 CSE-   75 CSFs-   80 NSE-   81 MTC-IWF ENTITY-   82 HSS-   83 MME

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method performed by a first nodecomprising: receiving an identifier of a user equipment (UE) andinformation indicating communication characteristics of the UE from anapplication server of an external party; authorizing the applicationserver to send the information; and transmitting the information to anetwork node, if the application server is authorize; wherein theinformation is used to determine a parameter value which aidsoptimization of behavior of the UE.
 2. The method according to claim 1,wherein the information further indicates movement of the UE.
 3. Themethod according to claim 2, wherein the information identifies aplanned path of the movement of the UE.
 4. The method according to claim2, wherein the information identifies a mobility state of the UE ofwhether the UE is stationary or mobile.
 5. A method performed by anetwork node comprising: receiving an information indicatingcommunication characteristics of a user equipment (UE) from a firstnode, wherein an identifier of the UE and the information is sent froman application server of an external party to the first node, and theinformation is sent from the first node to the network node if theapplication server is authorized, by the first node, to send theinformation; and determining a parameter value which aids optimizationof behavior of the UE based on the information.
 6. The method accordingto claim 5, wherein the information further indicates movement of theUE.
 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the informationidentifies a planned path of the movement of the UE.
 8. The methodaccording to claim 6, wherein the information identifies a mobilitystate of the UE of whether the UE is stationary or mobile.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 5, wherein the information is used to determine theparameter value.